That blighter has gotten on my last nerve.
He’s eaten two baby fishes from the lotus pond. He’s ripped up a 30.00 lily. And the struggling lotus. He’s ripped up some of the waterlily pads on the main pond and tossed bark chips into the pond that nearly stalled out the 300.00 master pump, and would have if I hadn’t seen the waterfall stall out and gotten down on my hands and knees to decouple the pump and clear it of bark chips. He’s tried to eat our larger koi. He’s set off alarms that got us locked out in the back yard and cost us a 300.00 basement window.
Tolerance has run out. My only way to deter him forbids our cats the pleasure of their own garden. He’s destroying stuff. He’s eating our fishes. And waking us up at night. So he’s toast. I’ve called someone who will trap him in a trap safe for neighborhood cats, so if I get the neighbor kitty by mistake, we can just turn him loose. But this is war. Unfortunately by state law there’s no catch and release for this fellow, and I’m very sorry about that, but he’s beyond the annual nuisance some of his kin are who just trek through on their way to the river. He’s regarding our back yard as his and is big enough to threaten neighborhood pets, and I’m drawing the line.
Just think of it as natural selection. You are weeding out of the gene pool an animal that has become too habituated to humans, and one that can potentially carry rabies and other diseases into areas where human children play and where their pets are.
That said, I have to ask: I understand the Seattle area has had a very dry hot summer. Has this been true of the Spokane area as well? If so, the maddening coon may be after your fish, because his other sources for food have failed him.
He has no excuse: cooler than average, wetter than average. It is possible, granted he is the huge one that plagued us last winter—that he is old, dominant, or fading, and become a problem. I’m the sort of person that will catch-step to miss a line of ants on the pavement and will catch and release bugs in the house, but this fellow is causing more mayhem than I’m willing to tolerate.
Friends in Los Angeles had a doggie door. Occasionally they’d get up in the morning to discover the kitchen entirely trashed, and a possum or raccoon lounging on the counter. One possum thought seriously about attacking the kids who startled it while it was having its way with the trash compactor.
Human-habituated wild animals are bad news, doesn’t matter what species it is.
My sister had problems with raccoons getting into her apt at night – she’d have the door cracked for the cats – and Getting Into Stuff. The worst was when they got a packet of instant cocoa out of the (boxed!) mug it was in, opened the packet, and tried to “wash” the contents.
(Cats Do Not Like raccoons.)
Woke up to a crash a couple of weeks ago. It was, like, 2 AM? I am not smart at 2 AM. I suspected the cats…but no. Definitely the sound of terracotta breaking, so it had to be outside. Went out to the patio and lo, a raccoon was thinking about climbing over the low wall (we live in an apartment complex with a big park nearby) and coming on in. He’d already cleared his path by knocking a pot off (empty). Both cats were out at the glass door, little female growling and mad but also not about to approach, much bigger male at my side looking anxious. So I yelled at the raccoon (“Trash panda! Off my patio!”). It looked at me. I banged on the door. It looked at me and poked one insolent paw over the side and started coming down. 2 AM, recall: I lost patience. I got my squirt bottle of white vinegar (cleaning, now weapon) and opened the door and shot it in the face, twice. The raccoon retreated. Only then did I realize I had an open door and at least one cat who might’ve run out to defend territory, but fortunately, he had not (being sensibly wary of larger-than-him creatures).
…Husband slept through it all.
Does the husband realize this could not look good in his husband performance evaluation in defense of the family castle? 😀 Possibly a gentle word is in order, haha.
can sympathize, given prior experiences in two houses with raccoons and/or possums. At one point, I was wondering whether it might be possible to charge them rent and a damage deposit for those late night parties and noisemaking. And y’know, if they hadn’t trashed the place and caused all that racket, and if they would’ve paid rent, we might’ve been able to work out a sweet deal for mutual benefit.
It is unfortunate you cannot discuss with the raiding raccoon the possibility of joining the empire as a member tribe or nation, wherein he would have rights to a certain raccoon territory, admittedly far from the Cherryh-Fancher abode. Some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement, wherein he and his kind pay rent, ah, or some such, and there is trade back and forth, and such things as might be amenable to human-feline-raccoon inter-species relations. Something between, say, oh, a Trading Compact (hint-hint, wink-nudge) and a Roman imperial setup and, say, a place in the Commonwealth or Colonial Trade Empire, suitably modified upon experience of such as the USA, Australia, and India had experience with the British Empire.
Or perhaps to put it in a more pithy Greek way: Mister Raccoon, it’s with thy shield or on it. Thy choice, good fellow raccoon.
The raccoon would be wise to take a good deal and trade with the august Cherryh-Fancher Trade Empire of the Abode. Because… August is coming!
Ahem. Well, something like that, you see.
(No, Master Raccoon, that little green Robin Hood cap and the bow and arrows will not necessarily win you cuteness pints, but it is a good try. Just because it worked for that fox in that old Disney movie, don’t think it’ll win you points with the Ladies of the Manor. Lady Cherryh hath declared a pre-emptive strike if thou dost not agree to her generous terms.)
— I would favor a catch and release where that rapscallion raccoon is escorted very, very far into the countryside and released in a place suitable for admittedly resourceful and clever raccoons.
If he flinches during negotiations, is it bad form to point out that some other humans have been known to find raccoons…tasty, hmm? — All right, well, probably not strictly good form, there. However, perhaps effective if he gets too cantankerous. Raccoons can be very vociferous and demonstrative, one has heard.
Best Wishes upon the imminent relocation of said varmint.
And yes, the possibility that he could make war upon or try to eat the cats is an unacceptable situation. The raccoon must go, forthwith. Also, he led indirectly to Jane getting injured while breaking her own window to get back in, and eating one’s koi and causing property damage, not appreciated.
Pity about not being able to convince him to swear fealty to the great Trade Empire, though. Raccoons are indeed clever and resourceful. Ah, well. Banishment it is.
(It is perhaps also bad form to mention that it is a well-known tenet of fiction that a character is never guaranteed dead until one sees their head on a pike, and even then, not certain, given flashbacks and time-travel scenarios, alternate reality dimensions, and the like. But perhaps impress upon him that you do not usually favor the head on the pike solution, but could be moved to have exceptions, if pushed too far. With emphasis that if he agrees to your terms, membership in the Empire could be much more beneficial and enjoyable, and putting distance between his territory and yours would be but the first step in this grand alliance.)
Hmm, why yes, I’ve been watching.a couple of series rather prone to drastic and more, ah, extreme solutions than one prefers in real life.
Enjoy!
I’d rather have possums or skunks around than raccoons. Raccoons are smart enough and dexterous enough to cause a lot of problems, and they don’t much care about either people or other animals.
IMO city folk have become too “precious” about the “wildlife” for which they so readily destroy habitat for their own uses. They’ve been “off the land” for so long they have no sense of how nature works in the real world–it ain’t the way we see on TV. There’ll be “hell to pay”, of course, but it’s far too late to get squeamish about “nuisance” animals.
Here’s a fact at odds with public opinion: natural equilibriums are like Humpty Dumpty. When we disturb a natual equilibrium there’s NO WAY to put it back the way it was! It is going to settle into a new and different equilibrium. So do what you must do, and leave it at that–never try to undo or “fix” it. That should be severely cautionary. Evidence shows, everything we have tried to do fix things only messed it up further.
Mother Nature is not amenable to public opinion. Things work the way they work, our intent is irrelevant.
A good article on the dangers of wildlife habituating to humans, by a field biologist:
http://wolfeducationinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Geist-habituation-FINAL-for-HWI.pdf
And another in more detail by the same author, relevant to pretty much any predator (not just to wolves):
http://www.vargfakta.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Geist-when-do-wolves-become-dangerous-to-humans-pt-1.pdf
It’s too late! A) People have to be told; they have no experience of the myriad ways Nature works. B) They can’t be taught enough of the whole picture. C) They don’t believe what they’re told. D) Too many people “never get the memo”.
How do I know? I bred & raised pigeons (or can I say “dinosaurs”?) as a serious hobby for 60 years–if that doesn’t make “serious” redundant. Yes, pigeons are as serious an avocation as breeding horses, dogs or roses. I’m an Aspie. I may not “grok” how humans behave, but I DO understand animals; refer to the life and career of Temple Grandin.
Comment When we use to live in the country I handled racoons that were becoming to destructive with buck shot, but since moving into the suburbs we try and respect the local firearms discharge ordinance. So the last time the racoons got a bit to aggressive I shot one rather extensively with a paint ball gun. He wasn’t very happy but it did discourage him from trying to get into the attic.
We did that to a feral rooster that persistently decided he wanted to doodle-doo right outside the bedroom at 4 a.m. DH chased the rooster around the property with a semi-automatic paintball gun; by the end of the chase, the neighbors were cheering (the rooster had made no friends). At the end of the pursuit, the rooster decamped at high speed because the neighborhood was just too hot for him. Paintballs are effective deterrents, especially if you crank up the speed.
In my part of the world it has just dawned on some people that the trash pandas actually kill and eat cats, not just raid food dishes. Think of twelve pound bear and you have a pretty good idea what you are dealing with. People need to be more sensible about controlling food sources so the varmints don’t get habituated.
My strata complex was in a fight with the city all spring to get them to install bear-resistant food-waste bins. We didn’t want to be responsible for the death of another bear (a fed bear is a dead bear and all that) The new bins are bear-resistant not bear-proof but they will certainly make the raccoons (also coyotes, skunks, possums etc.) move along too. Everybody still shudders to recall the skunk with his head stuck in the drain vent hole of one of the big metal dumpsters.
The one we had show up to pick over our walnuts, drying on the patio, was more like 20 pounds. Much bigger than our 12-pound cat, who was the first to notice the coon outside.
Claymore mines using paintball projectiles might be useful, though very noisy.
Another thought. It’s your territory; you have a right to defend it. The little masked schmoe is poaching on your preserve. Those fish are under your protection. Where is Banichi when you need him?
Regrettably, his infractions have reached the point where there is no choice but to Declare Intent on his okole!
Despite how woodsy as my condo complex is, I’ve had no problem with raccoons or possums. I wonder if my two greyhounds are discouraging the wildlife. On the other hand, we have squirrels, drunken birds (fermented mulberries), and coyotes.
And last Saturday, I got a text message from the local police:
Message from Marietta PD:
Advisory: Yes, we know, a small black BEAR is wandering near the middle school (Polk & Winn). More
DNR has been notified. No one has reported any aggression but let’s be clear, do NOT approach if you see it.
We have had numerous calls this morning regarding the small to medium sized black bear sightings. If observed near your home please stay inside until it leaves your area.
DNR stated they believe it will return to its natural home if left alone. Obviously we are here to help if you feel threatened please call 911.
My personal favorites are the stories of bears found in swimming pools on hot mornings… in Pasadena. Yeah, as in metro Los Angeles.
I’m about a mile out of Small Town, Montana… couple years before we got this place, a bear broke into the rental house and had its way with the freezer. And that’s become a chronic problem around West Yellowstone — seems bears have discovered that freezers full of venison often reside in garages, and proceed to break and enter in pursuit of a precut dinner.
Generally the bears are in the foothill areas, at the edges of cities, not in the really urban areas – where you’re more likely to see a coyote.
My ex-wife’s house is in New Hampshire and we know about bears. If you drive around and look its easy to see a half a dozen in a day. One night I let one of my Yorkie’s out to do his business. When I heard him bark, I knew that he had seen something. He was chasing a bear. I yelled at him to come back and the bear took off. I’m sure that he believes that he chased the bear off.
Black bears are bigger and more potentially dangerous but they aren’t as aggressive by nature as raccoons are. I’ve dealt with bears in my backyard and raccoons that broke into my house and challenged me. I’d rather deal with a bear that will run if given the chance than a raccoon that will stand its ground.
I can just imagine trying to explain to a raccoon, “No, ‘stand your ground’ laws apply to the homeowner, not the intruder!” LOL WUT
A couple of months ago, there was a “video that went viral” with a bear lounging in a hot tub, someone’s cocktail nearby, a private residence with a short fence. Oh, lots of people thought it was funny and cute. OK, I admit it was funny in a teeth-clenching way. My immediate thought was, the bear liked the relief on a hot summer day the first time; he or she would remember the spot for future visits. I commented the bear needed to be relocated and/or that fence needed to be bear-proof, because that could endanger people, neighbors, kids; it wasn’t so cute, that’s a wild animal. I also commented that bears and other wildlife have as much right to live freely as humans do. I don’t know if anyone ever commented back on it. It was probably lost among the “aw, innit sweet?” comments. Or the admittedly funny suggestions that the bear needed a refill on that cocktail. A few people did suggest the bear might like a hot tub partner, usually suggesting a pretty woman, and a few suggested the bear might snack on a passing human. Meh.
Regarding equilibrium of the global ecosystem: Agreed, human intervention modifies the system. Yet even at our best, as a species, we are still going to make an impact. So the question is, how can we minimize that impact and keep the system in a workable balance, and how can we prevent people from doing willful, intentional harm (usually large-scale businesses and city pollution and trash) or unintended harm, which we probably all do to some extent?
I’m still appalled that my apartment complex does no pre-sorting of recyclables. Everything goes in the dumpsters and either is or is not sorted by the waste management company that empties them. I estimate that every day, they probably outdo all the careful recyclable sorting I did when I had my own home with two-week recycling pickups.
We still have a beautiful planet that has some chance to recover. I want that to happen.
And yes, wildlife management has to involve decisions like relocating wild animals or finding some way for nature preserves and parks, some way to coexist or to have separate areas for wildlife and humans. Something. We need bears and cougars and other big wildlife. We need raccoons and possums. Heck, we even need those hordes of insects. But not in our neighborhoods doing damage or threatening people’s safety and health. I love nature, but I also want my home pest-free, and that seems quite reasonable to me. And for mammals and birds, hey, I want them to have a good home somewhere too, but not in my attic (if I still had my own home) or other such things.
Here’s hoping Mr. or Ms. Raccoon gets his or her ring-tailed, clever, ornery butt transported as far from the Cherryh-Fancher abode as is practicable, to pursue a life of, er, raccoonly…raccoonness…in a more…raccoonable…setting. Heheh.
OTOH, there are chemical repellants, boy pee, ammonia, cumin, etc. but those need to be reapplied once a week or after every rain.
:rofl: I was doing fine until I read, “boy pee,” and have been laughing off and on since then.
Caveat: My real-life 12 year old self would have been far too mature for such things. (Possibly, I missed out.)
I could see a fairly raucous little tale, sort of a cross between Leave it to Beaver, Dennis the Menace, and their later descendants, Calvin and Hobbes and Bart Simpson, further crossed with the Bad News Bears and some similarly vaguely disreputable Boy Scout Troop, and who knows what else. In which story, the neighbor lady enlists the help of a neighbor kid or said team / troop, in fighting off the raccoon via, ah, natural chemical means. (LOL.) It would, of course, take some rather puzzled or baffled boys, but of the sort of daring, impish nature to, ah, demarcate the area sufficiently.
You know, the tone of that above was really not quite what I was going for. Too stuffy, not sufficiently over the top comedy. Hmm. This could be a fun writing exercise.
Yeah, getting someone as intrinsically shy about some things as I still am, to actually write such a story and pull it off properly? Hahah, I don’t know, I’d have to give it a go, but it might end up taking a few passes or drafts to get such a thing written, so as to be just silly and ribald enough without being inappropriate or putting me or the readers off.
Hmm…if one character is very shy or proper about such things, and another is rambunctiously outgoing and a daredevil…possibly add in neighbor and animal reactions…. OK, this thing has unforeseen possibilities.
(My inner 12 year old will probably be scandalized and cringing.)
Results may vary from expectations. No idea yet if I can carry this off, but I’ve never tried such a thing before. Hmm, this could be a challenge.
Please post a photo of the raccoons dead pelt tacked to the side of your garage.
It is not nice to eat the fish.
Jonathan up here in very muggy New Hampshire.
“Transportation” is NEVER an answer. It wasn’t when England transported their undesireables to Australia and America–those lands were already occupied, “owned” if you will.
So where are you going to release your nuisance animal? Either the territory can support an animal, in which case it does, given the decreasing habitat we allow them, and you’re causing a series of territorial fights. Or it can’t, and you’re releasing the animal where it cannot survive, i.e. you’re condemning it to death. Either way, you won’t have to watch what you caused. Congratulations! Next time respect Nature.
At least racoons are better than baboons – which we have here in Cape Town. There are a number of places where the suburbs are adjacent to nature reserves and mountainous natural areas where troops of wild baboons live.
They are highly intelligent. From living close to humans they know how to open doors and windows, and even car doors. They learn what works and remember it, and learn from each other. If they get into a house, they will open refrigerators, cupboards and drawers. They will tear open cardboard boxes and smash bottles to get at the contents. They also move in groups and cooperate. It’s been known to happen that if there’s a small window open (and they can climb) a tiny baboon may get in and open a window or door for the others.
They seldom harm humans, but you wouldn’t want to tangle with a baboon – they are extremely strong and fast, and they have long, sharp teeth.
They’re a protected species, which makes it difficult to manage them, but there’s a kind of uneasy truce, and wildlife officials will act to move them out of areas where they get too troublesome.
Here’s a documentary about baboons co-existing with humans in a small town about an hour’s drive from Cape Town. It’s very honest about the different attitudes of the people, and the problems they have with the baboons. The semi-hostile relations between some of the townsfolk and the nature conservation officer stationed there are also shown.
Help! My Neighbours Are Baboons! [Man vs Nature Documentary]
What I find most interesting is the disabled lady, towards the end of the documentary, who lives on very friendly and peaceful terms with the baboons, and never feeds them. Also the wildlife employees around Cape Point who can ‘herd’ the baboons quietly and non-aggressively.
Interesting documentary, thank you Green Wyvern.
I recall seeing video in a primate-human nature documentary on monkeys in India that were vandals in the city. I think they were Rhesus monkeys; some common species most people would know of anyway, blond haired and ruddy-faced, smaller muzzles than a baboon, smaller bodies, tailed.
The video showed these guys in action, juveniles and adults, acting very much like burglars or gangs of street kids. I believe in the video, the narrator said an apartment had been set up for the video, specifically to see what and how much the neighborhood monkey troop would do.
Oh, it was impressive, too. Those little guys are danged clever and tenacious.
One of the things I’ve wondered is, if humans were not around to prevent it, or over the millennia anyway, could it be likely that multiple intelligent mammals could evolve and compete, so that there might be several intelligent species developing in a future stage? Given that evolution also advances all sorts of creatures into new forms, from the most basic on up, simultaneously, who knows what might show up over time. Humans in our present form would likely crowd them out or actively pressure to prevent that, but only if they (humans) could be around to do so. Some remote area, for instance, could start something. Or a city or other environment with high pressure for adaptation.
(Possibly, I’m also biased due to remembering two or three species from Andre Norton and H. Beam Piper, I think it was.)
—–
Funny side note: I’m fixing a salmon fillet for supper. Tried to remove the skin before cooking, but it was too thin and I made a mess of it. Any self-respecting raccoon or bear or otter or dolphin would probably be laughing his furry or finny butt off. So it will not be pretty, but it will be exceedingly tasty.
Other side node: Dang, my favorite brand of fish seasoning (The Spice Hunter) is still reading “currently unavailable” from Amazon. Darn it. I will keep looking. I’m not out yet, but I like this blend a lot.
Well,we got him. It’s a young one. I feel sorry for him. But he’s caused 500 dollars worth of damage, besides that it’s not pleasant for the fish to be eaten alive.
Good. Best we can hope for, I guess, is that his disposition doesn’t become somebody else’s problem. No criticism of a grown-up country girl, but of the proscriptive laws.
(edited to add) Ooh, I just saw your note about the raccoon : glad you got him, and saved the other fishes and the cats!
An off-topic question for those here who know computer and internet stuff: is Ecosia a good alternative to using one of the big company search engines that gather and sell one’s data?
It’s aims look good, but googling their name also turned up the search term Ecosia virus, so now I’m a bit uncertain about trying it.
Completely different off-topic question about food: can I freeze potato salad to eat later?
Mom was allergic to potatoes so it’s never become quite the staple for me that it is for many people, so tonight was the first time I tried fixing some, with 1 kg baby potatoes in their skins, and 1/2 kg together of peas, sugar snaps and green asparagus. I put in some smoked cheese and some smoked chicken breast, and made a dressing with some goat yoghurt and the juice of 1/2 an orange, with some pepper and salt.
It tasted fine, but I don’t really want to spend the next three days eating the same potato salad. I’d intended to freeze it (I usually cook several portions at once and freeze some), but decided to look it up and most internet advice seems to think it’s not a good idea. Now one site said that was because the mayonnaise that is usually used in potato salad can’t be frozen without separating; as I used yoghurt instead of mayonnaise, might mine be okay to freeze? Has anyone here ever frozen potato salad with a yoghurt dressing?
I’d intended to try a different potato salad recipe tomorrow or the day after, with radish and sweet corn kernels, some bits of smoked salmon, and parsley in the dressing.
But if every time I make cold potato salad I’m stuck eating the same thing for days, I guess I wont be making it often 🙁
Even in the heatwave we’ve been having for two weeks, though I like a cold dinner occasionaly, I still want some variety as well! And I’ve got not just the radishes and parsley, but also some portobello mushroom caps to make with goats’ cheese and pinenuts – can’t leave any of those in the fridge too long, and I know the mushrooms won’t freeze well.
Potatoes are like their cousin, tomatoes, having a cellular structure. Freezing will burst those cells with ice crystals, letting the water out when it thaws. So the texture will be somewhat runny. I think the cells are generally smaller though, so it should not be as bad as frozen tomatoes, or oranges! Ever seen what happens to a frozen orange?
Hi Paul, thanks for answering.
I do understand that large watery cells will burst with freezing, because ice (as well as the sharp crystals poking holes in cell walls) takes up more room than water does, bursting the cell walls and making the texture go all soggy and pulpy and unpleasant (except where we expect it, like in cooked spinach – that is not perceived as particularly unpleasant) in those instances where the hydraulic pressure inside the cells is all that’s giving it structure.
Your answer does lead me to 2 new questions…
1) Doesn’t cooking already do something similar? Hence the softening effect of cooking, and the instructions to blanch (i.e. cook for a few minutes) vegetables before freezing?
I thought in that sense potatoes were like carrots: you can’t freeze them raw, but you can freeze them blanched and on thawing use them as cooked – they will lose their crispness, but that happens anyway for cooked carrots (and nobody eats potatoes raw anyway).
2) Don’t all food plants and animals have a cellular structure? I thought that was an inherent part of all higher lifeforms, that they are built of cells, and that cells contain (watery) fluid + other stuff?
I remember a long time ago, in high school biology class, looking through a microscope at a slice of deadnettle stem and scetching the cells we saw, and the structures within them…
If 1) is true, a potato salad with only cooked vegetables and without mayonnaise might be freezable, while one with fresh radishes (that need their crispness intact to be tasty) and parsley and such, like in the second potato salad recipe, would not be freezable.
That seems like a tenable hypothesis, I’ll probably try it. Thanks for helping me to think it through.
@Hanneke: Understand, I’m using what I know of “first principles” of physics and chemistry, not practical experience, which often plays trumps.
Re: 1) the purpose of blanching is two-fold. It has a sterilizing effect. But importantly it also denatures internal catabolic enzymes that would break down the structure. Blanching is not a thorough cooking.
Re: 2) critical factors include the amount of water, i.e. juciness, of the cells, other constituents, e.g. carbohydrates and celluloses, that would absorb the water, and their internal structure controlling how water is distributed in the cell. Potatoes don’t SEEM as juicy as tomatoes, except for one thing: the way they retain heat after cooking. That’s because of the water they contain–water has many unique properties!
I agree that adjusting recipes to freeze at certain points then completion after thawing might make a big difference. For instance, the addition of emulsified fats, e.g. mayonaise, that themselves will break down on freezing, and/or coat particles that might otherwise absorb released water. You MAY want to just cook and freeze the potatoes alone.
It looks like Ecosia is not a virus, but installing the browser extension may change your browser settings in unwanted ways. It also displays ads.
For privacy, and a search engine that doesn’t track users or save data, try DuckDuckGo. It’s strange name, but they’ve been around for some years and they have a good reputation.
Thanks GreenWyvern, I’ll try out DuckDuckGo.
It’s too bad we live on different continents or I’d be trying to finesse a dinner invitation. That potato salad sounds excellent. I think that freezing the cooked veg undressed is the way to go. Just thaw out what you need for a meal and add the dressing. My problem with freezing partially assembled food is labeling it properly with labels that stay on. I have been known to find packages of “stuff??” in the freezer and have no idea what to do with them. (except throw them out)
Good you got him or he would just keep coming back, some of our cities are having pest problems because we don’t want to kill wildlife. I live in the forest with mountain lions and coyotes feasting on fawns right now, two springs ago a coyote got my dear Shy kitty and even though we live in the woods with these wild animals we are out for revenge on the coyotes though they are tough to get revenge on. So far we haven’t killed a one. The mountain lions got a large doe (deer) right by my garden last year so now we make sure our last dear kitty is in before dark and that is a challenge because he is a hunter and wants to sneak off. We are on watch constantly when he his out and now with the fire danger up I want to be able to find him if we have to run. Oh how we love out pets!
One can indeed freeze cooked potatos. We are two persons here, and 1/2 Ki of potatos will make enough salad to last us a week. I think that one might cook and freeze the potatos and add other ingredients, most especially the dressing after thawing them.
@Hanneke — That sounds like an interesting recipe! — I’ve saved it, though it may be a while before I get to try it. My fridge is still too full from my last grocery delivery, though now I will need to order a little this week that I’m out of again.
About the potatoes and potato salad — I am enough of a fan that I don’t generally freeze it when I fix it. I know that mashed potatoes tend to separate out the water when frozen, so they require some stirring when reheated, and it’s not ideal. I am not sure about the results you’d get from freezing a traditional US Southern style potato salad (cold, usually with mayo and/or mustard, etc.). The cooked potatoes, if not mashed, should fare OK, and I suspect the mayonnaise would do all right enough.
Two thoughts: (I like Tommie’s smart suggestion, so three.)
One, your own recipe, or a usual US cold Southern-style potato salad, should do fine in the fridge for a week to ten days anyway. You are probably fine about that.
Two, well, nothing like practical experimentation. Why not divide it in half and freeze half and use the rest for now. If the second half does OK when thawed, there’s your answer, likely. I would not think you’d have any serious problems, only a minor texture issue, or perhaps not. Or if you are tired of the potato salad, perhaps freeze a felicitous 2/3 and keep the 1/3 out, or divide into containers to freeze the whole thing if the thought of another bite of the stuff does not thrill you anymore. 🙂
Too bad we don’t have instant transporters or gates. You could send samples to interested parties. 😀 That would be some tasty email attachment or Dropbox download! Haha!